Friday, June 04, 2010

We residents of The Crossing are not athletes. We have friends who are athletes and we live vicariously through them. One of our friends has a daughter who plays softball. She loves softball. She plays year round. She's phenomenal!

I got an email from Aimee of Dotted Line Communications asking me if we wanted to try out these new XProTeX sports gloves. She said that the gloves help spread out the forces of a ball hitting the bat. Now - I'm no athlete. I can't catch very well and Lord knows I can't hit. When I do actually get a hit, it does hurt. Yes, I'm a big baby and I know it. So, I contacted my friend and asked her if her daughter would like to try out these gloves.

This girl, I'll call her Kelly, it turns out, loves to be a guinea pig and will try almost anything. So I got the gloves, and passed them on to her. She LOVES them! They take the sting out of the pitch. She says they work! (I think they are very stylish, myself. Hers are white and hot pink and yellow.) Her coaches love them. Her teammates love them.

Here is what the manufacturer says about them:

XProTeX, the company redefining traditional methods of sports protection, today announced the launch of its breakthrough line of batting gloves, designed to protect baseball and softball players from injury to their hands and wrists. Utilizing A.I.C. (Advanced Impact Composite), a patented material specifically developed for use in impact applications in sports, the gloves significantly decrease the risk of injuries to the hand and wrist area by reducing the impact of a 100 mph fastball down to the equivalent of a 40 mph ball. The first batting glove offering this level of protection, the XProTeX line is available for players of all ability levels, from youth and recreational leagues to Major League Baseball.

“Injuries among all types of athletes are on the rise, creating a real need for innovation in protective sports gear,” said Jack Kasarjian, CEO, XProTeX. “Specifically, hands and wrists are among the most vulnerable areas of the body and generally under-protected in all sports. XProTeX picks up where traditional batting gloves have left off by providing protection that enhances a player’s game without sacrificing performance.”

XProTeX is ushering in a new era of innovation, safety and protection to the sports of baseball and softball, with a goal of achieving a culture where sports participation includes education around injury awareness and prevention. Launched after 30 months of research, development and testing, the foundation of the XProTeX line of batting gloves is A.I.C. (Advanced Impact Composite) a patented material that provides a lightweight, flexible, and non-restrictive solution to body protection with increased impact resistance. XProTeX’s A.I.C. also provides greater coverage of vulnerable body parts, which is key as athletes of all levels are currently under-protected in many vital areas, especially their hands and wrists.

“Being hit by a ball in the hand or wrist area has the potential to sideline a player with an injury for months or even entire seasons,” continued Kasarjian. “No athlete, from little league to major league, can afford to be injured and out of the game. Our goal is to better protect athletes; keeping them healthy and playing the sport they love.”

XProTeX chose to harness its A.I.C. technology for batting gloves as the first product in their line of advanced sports protection not only because the hands and wrists are currently under-protected in batting sports, but also because they’re one of the most complex parts of the body and one of the most susceptible to injury. Small bones, blood vessels, nerve endings and tendons lie just underneath the surface of the skin without much muscle or fat to cushion them from an impact.

“With over 35 years experience on the field, both playing and coaching, I have seen too many players sustain serious injuries taking a ball to the hand or wrist in the batter’s box,” said Reggie Smith, MLB veteran, US Olympic Coach and USA Baseball Coach. “There is a real need for a product like XProTeX that’s going to give players the protection they need. It will give them the batting confidence to perform at their peak.”